Nocturna Suppressio
by BlueMorpho2
Summary: When a Shen Gong Wu reveals itself why does Chase Young suddenly take an interest in it? What does this have to do with Kimiko? Next time on Xiaolin Showdown...
1. Chapter I

_A/N: If this story has read similar to something that you have read before then you most likely must be thinking of my Choices fic. It was then changed to Time of Nightmares. THEN I deleted that story because I was tired of updating and not receiving reviews...Now I know that sounds really bad but listen what happened was that I had decided to change the plot of the fic after I had already posted 5 chapters. I then decided to rewrite those chapters and then just switch the document out. The thing is, when you switch the document out of a chapter it does NOT send a notification to the people that have it on story alert so they wouldn't get the memo that I had actually updated. So here you go, the updated fic that I am working on.  
_

"Release me!" Kimiko screamed angrily as she struggled against the bonds that held her. The room she was in only contained her and the mystery man who had kidnapped her. Her body was made spread eagle style with bonds around her arms and legs, the ropes were pinned so tight that she could not even bend her legs or arms. The room was conveniently dark so that Kimiko could not even see a hand in front of her face let alone the mystery man.

The dark figure loomed over her with the Lao Mang Long Soup held in his hand. The man brought the soup closer to her, trying to force her to drink. The minute the rim of the bowl touched her mouth, Kimiko knew just what he was trying to force her to do. She could never forget that stench for as long as she lived. A brief struggle ensued where she held her mouth shut and the figure played a dirty trick by holding her nose. After a few minutes, she gasped for air and the man quickly spilled the soup into her mouth.

Kimiko spat out the soup in disgust and in response the figure slapped her across the face. She coughed from the lack of oxygen and as an attempt to keep any of the remains from the soup from sliding down her throat. She felt the figure leave her and her nerves began to escalate wondering what he was doing. Soon enough, she heard the footsteps of the stranger coming back accompanied by the smell of a new soup.

Anger sprouted once more within Kimiko and suddenly that fiery temperament that she was known for came back in full force. Willing all the hate inside of her to turn into a proactive force she spat, "These bonds may be fire proof but that doesn't mean _you _are!" She closed her eyes and summoned her fiery element to engulf herself in flames. The soup scattered to the floor and the figure retreated a distance away from the intense heat. Kimiko opened her eyes to reveal that they were glowing a solid orange. As she gazed around at the lit up room, her eyes transfixed onto the figure.

"Y-You?" Her eyes narrowed in recognition of the man. Her anger spiked even more unbelievably so and Kimiko decided to just let her powers go as they ravaged the room. Pillars of fire soon encircled her body acting as a type of shield to prevent the man from coming any closer. Balls of flames were sent flying all around the room and the figure had to duck to avoid being scorched. Much of the room was destroyed in the onslaught and though the fire was intense, it could not break the bonds that tied Kimiko for they had been laced with Heylin magic.

The exhaustion of using her power at its maximum took a toll on her body and finally the fire dimmed and Kimiko hung from the bonds unconscious.

Inside the temple Kimiko rose up from her futon. Sweated dripped down her forehead and her hair was matted to her face. The sheets were soaked with perspiration and Kimiko panted.

"Was it just a dream?" A pain pounded through her skull. She clutched her head and wiped the sweat from her face. She suffered a brief dizzy spell from getting up too fast and had to lie back down for minute. Draping an arm across her forehead, Kimiko stared up at the ceiling contemplating her nightmare.

"_Who was that man?" _She had recognized the stranger's face in the dream but now the image was just a blur to her. _"Maybe there are clues that I can look for…There was the Lao Mang Long soup, the ropes were Heylin-laced, and I knew who the man was so I must have met him before…No, no way! It couldn't have been…" _Worry streaked across her face. "_Could it have been Chase Young?"_

"_Bingo."_

"_Shut up brain!" _

"_What? I only know what you know. You've thought it out yourself, it must have been him." _

The group hadn't seen the Prince of Darkness for a long time. Without the Shen Gong Wu appearing, there was nothing to facilitate meeting him or the others for that matter. There were many days sitting around the table debating if perhaps the Heylin side was preparing an attack. But days turned into months and months into two years. Omi had suggested that maybe they had already found all the Wu that there was to be found. Dojo quickly shut down that idea. When asked how he could know such a thing, he said that he just had a feeling.

So for Chase Young to just now be starting trouble was very worrisome indeed.

"_I hope that premonition doesn't come true…Should I tell Master Fung?"_

"_Nah, that wouldn't be a good idea."_

"_Why not?"_

"_You'll start all this needless commotion over a simple nightmare. You don't exactly find Chase Young to be the most pleasant person to be around. It was probably just a nightmare involving just one of the few people you fear."_

"_That makes sense…"_

"_See? You have nothing to worry about, just get some sleep before Raimundo comes in and goes 'IT'S TIME FOR TRAINING!'"_

Kimiko giggled softly to herself. _"I'm still wide awake. I'll go and get something to drink."_

Kimiko yawned and stretched out her muscles then got up. On her way towards the door she noticed Dojo lying sound asleep in his basket. About a year ago Kimiko had requested of Master Fung to get her own room. She reasoned that as a growing _girl _it was no longer appropriate for her to sleep in the same room as Clay, Omi, and Raimundo. So when she moved Dojo came along with her. He said that he couldn't stand Clay's snoring which Kimiko found ridiculous since he snores too. But since she could stand the sound of his snoring, she didn't really mind him coming along. It wasn't as if he was a human boy so she didn't mind him. And the company was nice and the two were able to bond during the time there was no Shen Gong Wu.

The other three tried to get their own rooms as well and they did for a while. But Omi started having nightmares so the guys banded together to keep him company.

Kimiko quietly opened the door and stared across the hall into the guys' room. Their door was open and she could hear Clay snoring loudly and she could see the figures of Raimundo and Omi laying haphazardly on their futons. Quickly and quietly, she shut the door to her room to keep Dojo from waking up and headed towards the kitchen.

Standing by the sink with the cup of water in her hand, Kimiko thought about her dream once more. She still couldn't believe that it was Chase in her dream.

"_Why would Chase do such a thing? He's never done that type of thing before..."_

"_Does it really matter why? It's a dream, and dreams don't have to make sense."_

Kimiko rolled her fingers across the cup in thought. Oh, sure, he turned Omi but he never held Omi down and try to force the soup into his mouth. There was a difference between being turned by the soup and being turned by the Ying yo-yo. One just makes you switch sides while the other does something to your mind. Arguably, they both alter the user's mind but there's a certain animalistic or crazy side that is expressed when someone uses the Ying yo-yo. Kimiko could testify to that whole heartedly.

Taking one last sip of her drink, she set the cup down and walked back towards her bedroom. She knew that for the rest of the night she wouldn't get any sleep. Just as she reached the threshold of the door, a sudden powerful migraine hit and Kimiko called out in pain clutching her head with both hands. The others awakened to her cries and hurried towards her.

The room was all a blur and she could hear the echo of her friends calling her name. Everything spun around her and she collapsed to the floor in a fetal position still holding her head. There was a blaring ringing sound in her mind that grew louder and louder till she couldn't hear her friends' voices anymore. Finally everything went quiet and black.

When Kimiko awoke, she was back in her room with the sheets pulled up to her chest. The others had moved their futons to her room and lay around her as if to protect her. Kimiko rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. When she did, she woke up Raimundo who laid to her right. He sat up and hovered a bit over her.

"Are you ok Kim? What happened?" He asked concerned.

"I don't know exactly. I just had this horrible pain in my head and then…I guess I went unconscious." Kimiko replied. As they talked, Omi and Clay stirred from their slumber.

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep. You did like Omi did when he started having nightmares so we thought that was happening to you." Raimundo explained.

Kimiko nodded thoughtfully. "Do you remember your dream?" Raimundo asked. She shook her head no. It was the same as what happened with Omi; he had nightmares but he wouldn't remember them the next day.

Clay and Omi finally awoke and when they did they tried their best to console Kimiko.

"We'll look after ya lil' lady. Whenever you have a nightmare, you can count on us!" Clay said.

"We'll stay by your side until the nightmares go away." Omi said with encouragement.

"Thanks guys. Really, I'm fine now. Let's get something to eat." Kimiko said. The guys quickly left her room to herself so that she could get ready in privacy.

As she put her Xiaolin robes on, she thought back to the one dream that she did remember.

"_Was that really Chase in my dream? Should I start avoiding him now?"_

"_Look, if you're that worried about it just be more cautious of him. Not that you're not cautious enough already…" _

After brushing her hair the way that she wanted it, Kimiko went into the dining room where the others had already started eating. Raimundo was the first to notice her walk into the room.

"Hey Kim, how are you feeling?" He asked again.

"A bit better, but I didn't get very much sleep after what happened." She responded. Kimiko took a seat next to him and Omi; she didn't make an effort to fill her plate with anything and just stared at it blankly.

"Are you going to eat anything Kimiko?" Omi asked. He took another bite out of his eggs.

"Um…I will, I just don't feel like eating right now. I have a lot on my mind." Her eyes drooped back down to her plate.

"What about?" Omi asked, with eggs still in his mouth.

Before she could respond, Dojo leapt up in the air and started twitching frantically. Boils started appearing all over his body.

"Shen Gong Wu alert! Shen Gong Wu alert! Oh we finally got ourselves one now!" He said pulling a random toothbrush from nowhere and scratching himself with it.

"About time!" Raimundo slapped the table with his hand. He had been bored out of his mind with nothing to do these past two years. With a Shen Gong Wu activated, they can finally do something with the skills they learned through practice. He jumped up out of his seat and ran to get the scroll of Shen Gong Wu.

Omi and Clay exchanged excited looks on their faces and Kimiko regretted not eating anything. She hoped that she wouldn't feel sick because of it. Raimundo quickly made his way back and wiped a hand across the table, clearing it of its contents to set the scroll down.

"Well that's weird…it's not listed here in the scroll." Raimundo said with a confused look on his face.

"I wonder what kind of Wu it is then." Omi said quizzically.

"Um, guys! No time to question this! We have to get to the Wu before everyone else does!" Dojo shouted urgently. The group quickly ran outside and got on the full-sized Dojo, who whizzed on out the temple.

Kimiko felt a mixture of feelings as she rode on Dojo. For one thing, because she didn't eat anything before leaving her stomach was making faint growling noises that were loud enough for her to feel embarrassed but not enough that the others could hear. Secondly, she couldn't help the excitement that emerged because of the Shen Gong Wu appearing. It had been so long since the last and she really wanted to have a challenge again. Her third feeling was the one that dominated her mind though. She was worried that this new Wu would attract Chase Young.

"_Don't be dumb Kimiko. Chase has never been interested in the Shen Gong Wu and he's not going to start now." _Her mind argued.

"Still doin' all alright Kim?" Raimundo asked from behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she nodded back towards him in reassurance. She turned her face back towards the horizon, still thinking.

"_But it was during the time that the Shen Gong Wu were activating that he was on the move. Just because he's not interesting in using Wu during showdowns doesn't mean that he doesn't use them for his advantage if they are involved in his plans. Remember the Ying yo-yo?" _For once, her mind did not have anything to comment back with and remained silent.

After a few more moments of aimless flying, the group was feeling restless. Clay was the one who asked the question everybody was dying to know.

"So where is this Wu located lil' hombre?" Clay asked Dojo.

"I don't know but my gut instinct is telling me that it's under the ground." Dojo said. He landed on the grass and the group got off and observed their surroundings. Dojo slithered over a spot and circled it over and over. "I think the Wu is somewhere under here, I seem to remember some sort of cavern that the Wu resided in…But how are we going to get to it?" Dojo asked.

"Like this!" Clay concentrated and raise his arms up. The ground began to split apart and formed a hole wide enough so that Dojo in his enlarged form could fit through. After the deed was done, Clay let out a breath and popped his neck from side to side as if he had just finished doing a warm-up.

The others smiled at Clay in appreciation but that smile was soon wiped away when they felt an evil presence approaching. They all looked up in the sky just in time to see Jack Spicer make his entrance.

_A/N: Oh? Another A/N? Why do you talk so much woman! D: Ok, one last thing, this fic is partially inspired by Silent Hill. That is mostly because I was playing that game when I decided to change the whole premise of this fic. I say partially inspired because it's not really full on Silent Hill-ish. I mean there are some elements but then it just goes on from there. You'll see later on. Also, I like to insert random references to other games I have played. I hope you all catch them in future chapters!  
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_Remember_

_To_

_Review! ^_~  
_


	2. Chapter II

Jack had certainly changed in the last two years. The group noticed his new growth spurt that he had attained. He now stood at approximately 5'9'' by their estimation. Because of the lack of Shen Gong Wu, the group had not seen Jack for a while now. Of course, he would occasionally try to steal what Wu they had from the vault but even that was becoming less frequent. They certainly didn't talk to him all that much so with him here it would be the first time they had gotten to see him for a while.

Apparently he had decided to work out if his muscles were any indication. He still stood with the same confident air about him that he always had. With his new height came new clothes; he had on black combat boots that went up just below his knees, a black tight-fitting t-shirt that was tucked in his pants (also black). He had on a black trench coat that was unbuttoned with the sides flaring out. He still wore the same black finger less gloves that was his norm. His goggles, which before had been on top of his head, now settled to being hung around his neck. His hair was still in the same old fashion and his make-up was still applied the same way.

"He looks…like Neo." Kimiko said under her breath. The rest of the group overheard and silently agreed, except for Omi who had no idea who Neo was.

He appeared with a new robot they hadn't seen before. Apparently, it was the new Wu finder as the words "Wu Finder" was written across the machine's chest.

Before anyone could do anything, Jack sped on into the newly created cave Clay had opened up. Apparently, Jack had actually learned something after all this time.

"Wait! Gah!" Raimundo growled as he hopped back onto Dojo. Everyone else followed suit and hurried after the red-headed teenager.

As Dojo weaved through the various stalagmite and stalactite, the group could see Jack touchdown on the floor and begin searching the area. He was using his Wu finder as a metal detector. It gave out loud beeps and they were coming more in frequency as he went on.

Out of the right corner of Omi's peripheral, he could see a glimmer of the Shen Gong Wu. He turned and saw that it was an Orb that resembled the Orb of Toonami but glistened with an even brighter blue if that could be imagined.

He jumped off Dojo quickly and made his way over to the Wu before Jack could notice what he was doing. Unfortunately, Jack had noticed and hurriedly chased after the monk hoping he could get to the Wu.

Omi jumped and landed with his hand on the Wu and smiled in victory. His victory was cut short when he realized that Jack was also holding the Orb.

"Jack Spicer! I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Omi said.

"Yeah, yeah, what'll be this time?" Jack said, rolling his eyes.

"I wager-"

"Wait! Wait, I didn't bring any Wu with me…" Jack said. Considering the Monkey Staff was the only Wu that he had in his possession, he wasn't about to risk losing it in a showdown.

"Ehh…= \ " Omi looked down at Dojo expecting an explanation as to what to do next.

Dojo just shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you'll just have to go without the wager then and don't use your Wu."

"...Alright then! First to escape the cave-in wins the Orb."

"Fine by me, let's go—"

"Xiaolin Showdown!" They both yelled simultaneously. In a flash of light, the scenery had changed into multiple paths going in either direction. The stalactite began falling and very quickly they yelled to each other, "Gong Yi Tampi!"

Omi took off to the right following the weaving paths that lead upward. Jack turned to the left and followed the paths that lead straight. Each of them easily dodged the stalactite as it came down on them.

Omi came to a dead end and saw Jack was making more headway than he was. As a stalactite was coming down, he leaped up and struck it sending it hurdling towards Jack hoping to impede his progress.

A red button on Jack's jacket began to beep loudly on his chest. He had created this nifty gadget so that way he could always know when someone was coming up behind him. The button began to beep furiously until it was almost a single long stream, Jack swiftly jumped down to the lower path. He felt a swift of air go passed his hair as he made his leap. Once safe on the new path, he turned and saw the stalactite that almost hit him crash into a wall.

While Jack was dodging, Omi jumped onto the path that Jack had abandoned and quickly ran down it.

Jack growled and shook his fist. "So he wants to play like that eh?" Jack said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a tiny black box and when he pressed it, it transformed into a large hammer. He quickly followed after Omi on the parallel path and when a stalactite came down in front of him he hit the rock as hard as he could sending it Omi's way.

Unlike Jack, Omi didn't need a device to tell him when impending doom was upon him. He leaped up into the air and did a frontwards flip avoiding the rock as it sped under him. He landed right on his feet just as Jack caught up to him.

"Hmph. Show off." Jack said, continuing his run. They both could see a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. The light was emanating from the Wu at the entrance awaiting their arrival. Jack was just a hair ahead of Omi and he was quickly gaining up to the Wu.

In an act of desperation, Omi jumped up and punched the ground hitting it as hard as he could. The resulting shockwave was enough to cause the ground underneath Jack to collapse. He screamed and held onto the ledge for dear life.

Omi leaped over him and ran towards the Wu and got it ending the showdown. The area flashed again and he was standing by his friends near the beginning of the cave entrance while Jack was standing a little away from them. He grumbled and turned around speeding on home, he didn't want to waste any time with whining.

"Congratulations Omi!" Raimundo said patting him on the back. Everyone around him gave him a group hug. Their victory was cut short when they noticed that the Orb was slowly disappearing from Omi's hands.

"What's happin'?" Clay asked. By now the Orb had disappeared so much so that Omi couldn't feel it anymore. He tried to clutch the Orb tighter in his hands in the vain hope that it would not go away.

"Why? Why is it disappearing?" Kimiko asked. A faint outline of the Orb was still visible then it vanished entirely.

They all shared disappointed looks and grudgingly climbed back onto Dojo who took off towards home.

"Well shoot! All that hard work to get the Wu and it just vanishes!" Kimiko grumbled with her arms folded.

"I know…" Clay said.

"Maybe we should ask Master Fung why the orb disappeared. Maybe he knows something we don't?" Raimundo said.

The rest of the group nodded slowly, seeing no reason why they would object.

Inside the temple, they told Master Fung everything. About the scroll which didn't say what the orb was, the showdown, and the orb disappearing.

"It just…vanished! Right out of Omi's hands!" Raimundo said. Master Fung raised an eyebrow at Omi and Omi looked down in disappointment.

Kimiko stepped up closer. "What we wanted to know was… do you know of any Wu that would behave like that?"

Master Fung looked at her and sighed. "The only Wu that would behave like that would be The Orb of Gero. The Orb has not appeared for over a thousand years. The last person to have used the Wu has been lost to time. The records have faded and can no longer be read. Technically, the Orb is not actually a Wu at all."

"What do ya mean Master? Why did Dojo sense that it was a Wu?" Clay asked.

"The device was built by Grand Master Dashi to help anyone to unlock their powers. Dojo sensed that it was a Wu because Master Dashi designed it to behave that way."

"How does the Orb unlock a person's powers? Why did it vanish?" Kimiko asked.

"The way in which the Orb unlocks a person's powers varies from warrior to warrior. But most of the time, the Orb forces one to go through a series of trials, if one passes these trials then they unlock their full potential. As to why it vanished, the Orb only works for the people it needs to work for. If the person does not need the Orb then it vanishes." Master Fung said.

"So since Omi didn't need the orb, then that means he already has all the potential he needs?" Raimundo asked.

"Yes, that would be correct. The Orb shows no deference to one side or the other, Xiaolin or Heylin, it does not matter." Master Fung said.

"So…if someone like Jack were to get the Orb…just what would happen?" Kimiko asked.

"It would greatly depend on just how much potential he really has, and whether he would have need of it anyway. But always remember young monks, good and evil must always have a balance. If one side becomes stronger, the other will compensate." Master Fung said.

"This is all just too much." Clay said, sighing.

"Never fear young monks, if the Orb is needed it will appear again." Master Fung said standing up. He walked into the temple leaving the monks to roll over the new information.

"I still have so many questions!" Raimundo said slamming his fist on the table. "I mean, just what are these trials? Why has it only just showed up now? What would happen if someone like _Chase Young_ got his hands on it?" He hissed at the name.

"Chase…doesn't like to use Wu remember? He considers it false power for weaklings." Omi said.

"But this just unlocks your full potential! Its potential you already have! You just need help to unlock it!" Raimundo said.

"That varmint Chase might consider using a device to unlock r' pow'r a cheap way of going about doing it." Clay said.

"That didn't stop him from trying to use Omi to take over the world!" Raimundo said.

The group went silent after that statement. A thought that had been going through Kimiko's mind ever since the showdown started to emerge from her lips.

"Hey guys…" Kimiko said hesitantly. "Did you all wonder…why didn't Wuya show up?" She twiddled her thumbs.

A surprised look came on all their faces. They didn't even wonder about that. It was Omi who spoke up.

"Wuya has always been able to tell what Wu has been activated without looking at a scroll. Maybe she decided that she didn't need it?" He said.

"That doesn't make sense though; Wuya doesn't have all her powers so she would want to get the Orb just to get those powers back." Raimundo said.

"It's Chase that's blocking her powers from emerging…with his magic. So maybe even if she got the Orb she wouldn't be able to use it." Kimiko suggested.

"That's a big 'if' lil' lady." Clay said.

"_Well, it's not as if we got any other ideas." _Kimiko thought.

It was getting late. The group decided to go to bed early and try not to worry about the Orb so much. Maybe if someone else got their hands on it, besides Omi, then maybe the Orb would stay?

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_A/N: 1/18/11 I'm just gonna date these things, just so I can keep track on what I did. Anyways, sorry guys for the late update! My muse just came back from the tropics! ^_^' and just in time for school too... This chapter has a lot of dialogue and information in it, I guess I'm just subconsciously making up for the fact that chapter 1 had a crap ton of description. I hope you guys like the length. It is 5 pages on Word and I think I'll roughly stay with that most of the time. Unless you guys want more O_O' I just wanna say that I reserve the right to edit/revise this anytime I want. I see somethin' and I wanna change so be it! ^_^ But I'll leave like a date at the end just so you guys will now that some sort of change when don't on such and such date. _

_1/20/11: I went back and edited the chapter a bit. I deleted a sentence that was just stupid. It was the one where I said, "The group went silent at that statement. Somethingsomething moment of silence." The second sentence was just unnecessary and I can't believe I didn't catch it the first time I wrote it. I also added dialogue for Master Fung. I had forgotten a plot point that would have been necessary. I'm not gonna tell you what it was because that would be spoiling future chapters. ^_^_

_3/3/11: Hey guys, you see how there are dates from even before I reuploaded this? Well, those are my old A/Ns from the time that this had been a story._

_3/4/11: (Wow, I'm making a lot of these) By the way guys, just so you guys know, I'm working on expanding out the other characters, meaning giving them more action to do. In my previous story, the action was heavily centered around Kimiko and while that is all well and good seeing as she is the main character of this particular fic, I realized that for this to be an even better story I needed to add some more action and well plot to the other characters. Alright, long winded A/N over, I'm gonna go post this now.  
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_And please, please, please, pleeeeaaasseee_

_Remember_

_To_

_Review! ^_~ _


	3. Chapter III

_3/3/11: That's right ladies and gentlemen, this chapter was already being worked on the day I published the first chapter. Lol no. The first chapters 1 & 2 were just reuploads. This chapter was actually the one I was working on. Did you guys know this is actually my most hated chapter? I have everything planned out and my other chapters are pretty much already worked up but this one is being the one that is the most pain. I hate it. I wish it would just die. I wish I could just skip it and the story would make perfect sense without it. But alas, no I cannot do that. I have to have a sense of coherency or else the story will all fall apart. Such is the nature of a story driven by plot and not just some random smut fic posted to get quick reviews…_

_Alright rant over, let's get on with this. Fyi, this chapter is rated T for language in the Author Notes...  


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"Guys! Guys! I sense a Shen Gong Wu!" Dojo shouted excitedly as he scurried through everyone's rooms. The boys groaned in unison and grudgingly rose up from their futons. Dojo turned on the lights* and Kimiko drug an arm over her eyes.

"_Ugh, I didn't sleep too well." _Kimiko didn't remember any dreams but she still felt like crap from all the tossing and turning. There was hardly any time for her to go about her routine as the guys were already coming out of their rooms in their robes. She quickly put her clothes on and ran a brush through her hair swiftly tying it up into a bun. There was no time for her to put her make up on so she hoped she didn't look too hideous.

"Come on Kimiko!" Raimundo shouted. The guys were already on top of Dojo as she ran out of the temple. She hopped up on Dojo and they were off.

While in the air, Omi pulled the Scroll of Shen Gong Wu out of his robes and unfolded it. Clay raised an eyebrow at him and Omi just shrugged.

"I snatched it right after Dojo came in." The group leaned in close as they could to get a good look. The circle in the scroll remained blank.

"I guess it's the Orb this time and not a new Wu." Omi said. The warriors nodded.

"We'll make sure to get it this time. Omi, it looks like you'll have to sit this one out little dude." Raimundo said. Omi nodded solemnly.

When they arrived at the scene, Wuya and Chase were already battling over the Orb.

"Well, there goes the idea that they don't need the Orb to reach their full potential." Raimundo said.

"We can't let either of them get the Orb! C'mon guys!" Clay said.

Just as the team was about to sneak their way over to it, Chase knocked Wuya into a tree and ran over to the Orb. Kimiko was the quickest of the them and grabbed the Orb at the same time as Chase.

Chase looked over Kimiko and noticed how fatigued she looked. "_This will be easy,"_ He thought smugly to himself.

"Kimiko, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown. First to the Orb wins but you cannot use Shen Gong Wu."

"_Ok, chill Kimiko. You can do this. Even if the Orb disappears once you win it, you just gotta keep it away from Chase. Or else it's the end of the world!" _

"_You're doing a totally good job at not making me nervous."_

"_No pressure."_

"I accept your challenge." Kimiko said.

"Let's go, XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" They both yelled simultaneously. In an instant the scenery changed to an area surrounded by lava. Large and small platforms rose up around them that lead in different paths all around the area. The Orb could only be seen just by the bright blue light it emitted.

Very quickly Kimiko balanced her hand on the ground and raised her leg up kicking Chase in the face, knocking him back onto another platform. The whole area around them would periodically rumble and cause a slight earthquake that would send some platforms falling into the lava. It was a race against time to get to the Orb before all the platforms fell.

Just as Kimiko set her feet on another much larger platform, Chase was on her. He swung his fists at her and it took all the speed she had in order to dodge the blows. He roundhouse kicked sending her flying over two platforms. She up righted herself and landed safely. Chase continued on his way towards the Orb.

Kimiko sped after him as quick as she could. Once she reached him, she did a frontwards flip and brought her foot down on his head. He fell down with a grunt and she ran towards her objective.

"Get it! Get-it-get-it-get-it! Kimiko!" Raimundo shouted as he frantically jumped into the air up and down. He, Omi, and Clay were in their Wudai gear cheering her on urgently.

Kimiko panted and heaved as she leaped from one platform to another. Just as she set her feet unto the ground, the platform jolted and she scrambled to get back onto it.

Chase Young whizzed past her, giving her a victorious smirk as he did so. Kimiko glared at his back, her little stumble cost her precious time to get to the Orb. With speed as his asset, there was no way she would be able to reach the Orb before him.

"_I'm going to lose…" _Kimiko thought angrily. She didn't come this far just for Chase to snatch the Orb from her fingers.

A light bulb flashed over Kimiko's head; she may not be able to physically get to the Wu but her element could. Not wasting any time, she closed her eyes and willed herself to be calm as she raised her hand in the air towards the Orb. Suddenly, just as Chase was to take hold of it, the Orb was engulfed in flames preventing him from touching it. In a straight line of fire, the Orb sped towards Kimiko and landed safely in her hand. The showdown was over. She had won.

Chase Young rose from where he had knelt. Frowning, he looked over to Kimiko a distance away. The platforms were slowly receding back into the landscape and soon they were both back on the ground. Kimiko's friends rushed over to her and gave her a congratulatory group hug. Their shouting and screams of happiness could be heard from even where he was standing.

"_Strange…the Orb isn't disappearing" _Chase thought. He then noticed her appearance _"The dark circles…well then, isn't this awfully inconvenient? It would seem its Kimiko's time to use the Orb…This could work to my advantage."_

Walking in a confident strut, he said, "It seems I have underestimated my opponent." He stopped just in front of the group. He then leaned threateningly close to Kimiko, "A mistake I will not make again." Very briefly he took note of the perfume she was wearing. It was the same one she had worn over two years ago. He had been surprised then too at her skill.

Kimiko tried her best not to blush at the close distance between their faces but she was sure she failed in that regard.

"_Please don't notice, please don't notice, please don't notice…"_

Chase raised an eyebrow at her.

"_He totally noticed."_

"_Shut up!" _

Chase had in fact noticed her blush. _"I could use this to my advantage too." _He looked around and saw that the others were in defensive stances. He scoffed. They should have known enough of him by now to know that he wouldn't try anything. He had honor and she had won the showdown, the Orb was rightfully hers. For now.

He straightened his back up and headed off towards his home, pondering the new information that he has attained.

By this time, Wuya had perched herself up in a tree and was looking towards the group. She too noticed that the Orb had not yet disappeared from Kimiko's hands. Though her wish to get the Orb to get her powers back had been dashed, she did notice one thing that caught her interest. The look on Raimundo's face as Chase walked away.

"_Well my, my, is that a spark of jealousy I see?" _Wuya filed away that bit of information away in the back of her mind. _"I see that Kimiko is blushing too, I think I have an idea." _

The group gathered around Kimiko and waited to see if the Orb was going to disappear this time. When it didn't they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"So…wait, I'm the one the Orb has been appearing for all this time?" Kimiko asked.

"That would have been great to know like yesterday." Raimundo said.

"_Yeah, that way I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to get the Orb." _Omi thought.

"Well congratulations lil' lady!" Clay said slapping her back sending Kimiko sprawling to the ground. She quickly got back up. "It looks like you'll be reaching your full potential."

Kimiko laughed nervously. _"So what about those trials?" _

Back at the temple, Raimundo was busy telling Master Fung the wonderful story of her success.

"Kimiko was amazing! She just stopped and suddenly the Orb was swept away from the hands of Chase Young and landed right in her hand!" Raimundo told excitedly as he stuffed his face with food.

Blushing, Kimiko said, "Rai! You've told this story a thousand times! Really, it wasn't that big of a deal."

"Oh Kimiko, you don't have ta be so modest. Why, you even made that ol' varmint Chase take notice of ya." Clay said. He was sitting down at the table in the middle of Rai and Omi. He too was stuffing his face with food.

At this Raimundo's hand tensed around the cup he was holding. The others didn't notice though.

"Why do you say that?" Kimiko asked, as she sat down next to Rai. She picked up her chop sticks and gingerly took a bite to eat.

"Why else would he bother ta come o'er and threatenin' ya?"

"You're reading too much into it. He probably doesn't lose all that often so he probably was surprised that he did."

"That's what I meant. What did you think I meant?" Clay raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh…never mind." Kimiko quickly picked up her cup and took a sip of it. The others just gave her a curious look before just shrugging it off.

"So, just what are the trials? Does anybody know?" Kimiko asked Master Fung.

"The trials vary from person to person. But they all have one thing in common, you must use the Orb that is all." Master Fung said. "It will be best if you do it within the confines of the temple. That way you are protected as you go through your ordeal."

"Right." Kimiko said. "I think I'll…I think I'll go and prepare first. I'll be where I usually go to meditate." She rose up carrying the Orb and went over to her favorite tree outside of the temple. She chose this tree because it was the most beautiful during the spring time. On the plus side, since it was a little bit away from the temple, she didn't have to worry about the boys bothering her with their noise if they got to training.

"_C'mon girl, just who are you? You're Kimiko! The Dragon of Fire! You have nothing to be worried about!" _

"_Thanks for the vote of confidence, but really, I'm trying to meditate here." _Kimiko thought about the day and her embarrassing moment with Chase.

"_Do you really think he noticed?"_

"_I thought you were meditating." _

"…_did he really notice that?"_

"_If I could sigh I would, but since I can't I'll just tell you this: He. Totally. Noticed."_

"_Aww man."_

"_Don't you have more pressing things to worry about? Like the trials?" _

"_You just said I didn't have anything to worry about." _

"_I don't think arguing with yourself is very healthy." _

"_Oh shut up!" _

Kimiko tired from her inward thoughts looked down at the Orb. She really should be more concentrated about this than anything else.

"_I can use this anytime right? So I can just, you know, wait?" _

"_I think it's best just to get it over with. What's the worst that could happen?" _

"_Those are foreboding words you just said." _

"_Ignore the foreboding words, just do it!"_

"_Fine!" _In the next moment, a flash of light blinded Kimiko's eyes and what she saw shocked her to her core.

Over Jack's house, the sound of machinery was echoing throughout the basement. Red ominous eyes glowed through the darkness.

* * *

_3/4/11: *Lol the temple has electricity? XD Honestly, I didn't catch that until after I got finished. I'm not changing it. It's just so silly. I'm just gonna assume that the temple has all the modern conveniences of life, but the monks just don't use them out of habit because of their training. Whatever. Just don't look too into these little things XD_

_4/18/11: Maybe I have a different sense of humor than everybody else but I thought the inner Kimiko talk she had with herself was funny. At least made me smile. ^_^ I dunno. I need some feedback people! How am I doing? Is it funny? Do I suck ass? C'mon! Also, the plot thickens in this chapter, just what are Chase and Wuya's plans? What did Kimiko see? And more importantly what the hell is Jack doing! _

_Random Interlude:_

_Inner me: My chapters are getting shorter and shorter T_T_

_Me: It's only a couple hundred words! _

_Inner me: But you were striving for a three thousand…and look at that Showdown! It's so short! _

_Me: I know it's short…I just really didn't have anything more to put into it. Kimiko wins the showdown, I just needed to get to that point._

_Inner me: You're running out of ideas for Showdowns aren't you?_

_Me: YES! *sob* Okay everyone, I have a request I have for you! I need ideas for Showdowns. Anything! Just not something I've already done! And sorta creative! That would be nice. The person who gives me the idea will have their name in the disclaimer thingy saying you helped me! _

_Inner me: You're asking your audience to help you? That's sad. _

_Me: You like to troll me don't you._

_Inner me: Yes. _

_Me: I think I reached my word count with your help._

_Inner me: Aww damn. People don't even read these anyway, they're probably wondering why the hell you wrote such a long ass A/N anyway. _

_Me: Okay everyone! I promise to have more story in the next chapter! TTFN ta ta for now! _


	4. Chapter IV

_**A/N: It is strongly encouraged that those of you who haven't read this fic in a while, (cuz you know, I took forever to update) to go back and do a re-read of it. I suggest this because this chapter will otherwise seem like an abrupt change of tone otherwise (shit just got real son!lol). This is probably a useless suggestion because even when I did a re-read it was still obvious that the tone in this was vastly different from the previous chapters. Sorry about that. I've been away from this too long. Or maybe this all just in my imagination? Ok, ok, end rant. **_

_**Also, this chapter is rated…T for..Menace? I'm paranoid about the rating people. **_

_Previously on Xiaolin Showdown: Nocturna Suppressio._

"_So, just what are the trials? Does anybody know?" Kimiko asked Master Fung._

"_The trials vary from person to person. But they all have one thing in common; you must use the Orb that is all." Master Fung said. "It will be best if you do it within the confines of the temple. That way you are protected as you go through your ordeal."_

"_Right." Kimiko said. "I think I'll…I think I'll go and prepare first. I'll be where I usually go to meditate." _

"_I can use this anytime right? So I can just, you know, wait?"_

"_I think its best just to get it over with. __**What's the worst that could happen?**__"_

* * *

Kimiko felt as if her soul had been taken from her body. She didn't feel any pain, sorrow, fear, or anger. Nor did she feel any of the positive emotions—safety, love, comfort. This separation felt as though another being had violently shoved its way into her mind and made all the processes shut down. Suddenly, she was standing in the middle of the field outside of the Xiaolin Temple. She didn't know how or why she was there but something was urging her forward.

The area around her was in pitch darkness. The sky was black and Kimiko was sure that this place did not have any air. Only her path toward the temple and the temple itself was illuminated. They glowed in an almost calming golden light. It was the kind of light one might think of when they imagine Heaven being lit up. But this was no Heaven. And Kimiko was sure where she was going wouldn't be anything to look forward to.

She wanted to do something. Anything. She wanted to will herself to stop moving. To. Stop. Going. Forward. Above all else, she wanted to_ feel_ something. It was as if she was a forced witness that couldn't feel a single thing happen. Even her legs did not have the sensation of moving. All she could feel was dumbness, a cold detachment. It seemed that the only thing within her control was her eyes and everything else was being manipulated by another person. The temple was getting closer now.

Kimiko now stood at the threshold of the temple. Her hand rose to rest on the stone wall, she vaguely noted that she was the one who controlled that hand. But as the thought tried to process through her mind, it was violently broken and it was no more. The hand fell limply down to her side and she legs started dragging her further into the center. Her eyes caught the scene before her. A horrible scream threatened to spill forth from her but instead there was silence. Her jaw hung agape in terror and the hand rose once again to cover her mouth. Tears were streaming down her face as if a dam had broken.

"CLAY!" Kimiko called out in an anguished cry, her voice seemingly having found her. The name echoed rapidly in this nightmarish world before all was silent. Her mouth snapped shut and Kimiko fought more desperately against the chains in her mind. To an outsider, it would appear that she was looking on at the scene in disinterest but internally there was a war going on. She pounded frantically against the confines of her mind but to no avail and she was stuck looking on at her dear friend.

Clay had been impaled by a large spike made of the earth through his chest. His treasured hat lied carelessly on the ground in a pool of his own blood. His head hung down obscuring her view of his face, though she would have just been better off not seeing it. Suddenly, Kimiko's legs started to move again of their own volition, this time going inside of the temple. Just as her foot stepped inside the doorway, her whole body was violently thrust back as if someone had unleashed an energy beam hitting her directly in the chest.

Kimiko rose up from where she landed panting. Sweat was pouring profusely down her face and her hair was matted on her face and neck. At first she didn't realize that her eyes were open, the room she was in hadn't yet cleared. She vaguely heard the sounds of her friends frantically shout her name and for a moment she thought that she was still in her dream.

"Kimiko!" Raimundo yelled next to her, he put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned back into his arms. "Kimiko!" he shouted again, trying to urge her to say something. After a few tense moments that seemed to stretch until eternity, Kimiko finally looked up at him.

"Rai…"

"Kimiko! Are you okay? What did you see?" The others were crowded on the other sides of her, tentatively awaiting her response.

"Clay…" Her eyes welled with tears as she thought of the nightmare that plagued her. At the sound of his name spilling forth from her lips, Clay tensed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"What was it that you saw?" Clay asked quietly.

"I-I…I don't…" Kimiko said hesitantly.

"Guys, Kimiko has been through an ordeal. Perhaps, it would be better if we gave her some time to rest?" Omi suggested to his friends. The others nodded their heads and Raimundo slowly lowered Kimiko back down on her futon. They were in the medical ward part of the temple and had rushed Kimiko over when she first collapsed.

Raimundo raised the blanket over Kimiko and tucked her in. As he rose to leave, the others followed suit. Kimiko sighed and turned her head away from the group and closed her eyes. The air was tense and Kimiko regretted having ever looked into the orb. Just a few moments ago they had been celebrating her triumphant victory over Chase Young and now they were depressing over the bad news that she will give. Kimiko didn't want to give it, she wanted to keep it to herself and close that horrible memory away forever, but she knew she had to tell them what she saw. Especially Clay, since it was him that she had seen in that vision.

Unknown to everyone, a crow had been watching the events unfold through the window sill. When the group left, it gazed curiously once more at Kimiko then took off into the night.

Once more Kimiko found herself back at the threshold of the temple. It seemed that she couldn't escape from the vision even if she wasn't holding the Shen Gong Wu anymore. _Please…not this again…_Kimiko wanted to shut her eyes but couldn't. Her body quickly made its way back to where she had stood before the vision had been cut off. She passed Clay's body but she didn't get the chance to look at him for that small relief she was thankful though she was sure that there was going to other things that will soon eclipse the thought. She mentally tried to prepare herself for the next thing she was about to see but it still didn't keep the hurt and the terror from seeping into her veins at the next person she saw.

Omi did not seem to have suffered as much as Clay. There was no blood but his face was porcelain pale color. There was water on him and underneath him and Kimiko knew, just _knew, _that he had been drowned. His Orb of Toonami lied across from him. It had been smashed and only the outer shell was still remained.

_Oh Omi…_Kimiko cried inside her mind. Her body abruptly began moving again going further inside the temple. Kimiko's heart started to beat frantically inside her chest. She knew the next person she would see would be Raimundo. Her legs began moving themselves toward Raimundo's room. She turned to look inside the room and her eyes widened at the sight.

There stood a woman with her back towards Kimiko. She had black hair and seemed to be wearing a dress version of the outfit that Omi had worn when Chase had converted him over to the Heylin side. The hem was lined in red and the dress was black. The sleeves reached all the way down to her wrists almost covering her hands. Kimiko's heart accelerated further as the woman very slowly began to turn around. Sweat began to form over Kimiko's forehead, she was absolutely terrified.

The woman that turned around was Kimiko! The face was wearing a malicious smirk and she reached into her robes and pulled out a heart. Kimiko then suddenly noticed the body that lay behind the woman was Raimundo. He was laying face down, his arm outstretched, his eyes in a look of utter betrayal. Kimiko couldn't stand it anymore and screamed with all she had. The image began to fade and suddenly she was back in her room again. She rose up from her futon and as the images were still reveling inside her mind, she held her face and cried.

In the morning, the group took Kimiko out to her favorite meditation area in order to talk about her vision.

"I told you guys…I just really don't want to talk about it." Kimiko raised a hand to her forehead to try to ease out the stress. "It's just that I have a lot of things to think about and I'd just like to have a moment to myself to get my thoughts together before I relayed them all to you ok?"

Raimundo looked as if he was going to protest but Omi spoke up first.

"We all understand Kimiko, but we just need you to know that if you need anything at all, you can come and talk to us." Omi spoke reassuringly.

"Yeah Kim, I mean…you will be sure to tell us alright? Evil likes to take advantage of anything we keep secret." Everyone's eyes briefly went to Omi, remembering how just two years ago Omi was tricked into joining the dark side just because he wouldn't tell his team that he was being trained by Chase Young.

"Don't worry…I learn from the past…I won't make the same mistakes." Kimiko said carefully, she didn't want Omi to feel as if they were lording over him still over that mistake.

"Well, if there's nothing else you need, we'll be going then." Raimundo said, glancing at the rest of the guys. They all nodded their heads and stood to walk with him back to the temple interior.

As they made their way back to the temple, the guys started up chatting again about Kimiko.

Omi looked up at Raimundo, "Kimiko is hiding something." He spoke bluntly.

"No duh," Raimundo said. He placed his hands behind his head. "But you know how stubborn she can be. She won't tell us anything until she's ready to."

"Then we must be prepared for anything. Evil has a way of…" Omi didn't finish his sentence. He disliked it whenever anybody brought up his mistake in the past; he certainly wasn't going to bring it up again.

Clay, noticing where the subject was going, interrupted, "Say, how bout we start training like we used to do in those days? It'll certainly help us in the long run."

"That's a great idea, Clay! We'll start once we get back to the temple." Raimundo said.

"What about Kimiko?" Omi asked.

"She'll be fine by herself for now. Tomorrow we'll ask her to come join us for training." Raimundo said.

* * *

Kimiko pulled the orb from her robes. She peered quizzically into the orb while gently running her fingers across it and turning it this way and that.

_"'What's the worst that could happen?' WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN!'" _Kimiko mocked her inner voice. For once her inner voice remained silent. Kimiko groaned in frustration, turning the orb once more in her hand.

_"Just what am I to do now? Should I talk to Master Fung about this? Is this one of those things that you have to solve yourself? What if Master Fung says this is one of those things you have to do yourself? What am I going to do now? Do I have to use the orb again?" _Kimiko laid the orb on the ground in front of her. She clutched her head and shook in frustration trying to stave off all the questions racing through her head. It didn't work.

_"What if this is an elaborate lesson in knowing when to ask for help? Remember that lesson in remaining calm and patient? Should I ask for help? If it is a lesson in asking people for help then what does that have to do with reaching your full potential? WHY DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO USE AN ORB TO REACH YOUR FULL POTENTIAL ANYWAY? WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO!" _Kimiko sucked in a breath and held it while counting to ten trying to calm down.

_"Look Kimiko..."_

_"Oh, there's you again."  
_

Kimiko's inner voice ignored that comment and continued. _"Kimiko, you're not going to get anywhere being all frustrated like this. Why don't you go to the temple and sleep on it ok? A night to think on it should help." _

_"Hmph. Fine." _Kimiko stood up grabbing the orb and walked quickly back to the temple. A night to rest might just be what the doctor ordered.

* * *

_**A/N: I just wanted to say this, I'm sorry for the extremely long time it took for me to update and Clay is a BIT..to write. Seriously, I can't write a southern accent with colloquialisms to save my life. **_

_**I would like to request that at least one person to take the time to write an extremely long (and thoughtful) constructive review. I would really like to see what others think of my writing and what I can do to improve. Characterization tips would be really handy as well.  
**_

_**I love you all and please remember to review! ^_~  
**_


	5. Chapter V

"_Ugh…I feel like crap…" _Kimiko fluttered her eyes open. Her head hurt, her back hurt from where she slept on it, and to top it all off her stomach was upset. She felt like she was going to throw up from all the nausea.

"_Why, oh why, didn't I bring back my ibuprofen when I had the chance?" _Kimiko thought dejectedly. _ "It was the same vision again! What does it even mean?"_

She turned over and looked at the source of all her problems. She wanted to chuck the damn thing at the wall and watch as it shattered into a million pieces. The problem was that it was the only thing that could help her so she just couldn't willy nilly destroy it.

"_Can it even be destroyed? Ugh brain hurts. Must. Not. Think." _

Everyone had already started eating breakfast when Kimiko finally entered the room. The group turned to look at her and noticed her disheveled appearance. There were dark circles under her eyes from her poor night's sleep (and she really didn't feel like putting her make up on), her robes were rumpled and the Orb was hanging out of her side.

Raimundo gave her a worried look as she hobbled to her seat. Looking at her meal, she tentatively took a bite with her chop sticks testing to see if she could keep it down. When it stayed, her face looked more relieved and started eating like she normally would but at a slower pace.

Omi was in his usual chipper mood and Clay was busy downing his orange juice. Raimundo kept glancing at Kimiko ever so often that she eventually caught notice and both blushed lightly when their eyes met briefly. After a while Omi was the one who started the new conversation. This time directed toward Kimiko.

"So Kimiko, would you like to train with us today?" He asked. He was anxious to ask the _other_ question on everybody's minds, like if she had another vision, but wisely kept his mouth shut. It wouldn't do to bring the subject up if she wasn't feeling well.

"I think I will rest today. I'm not feeling well." Kimiko replied honestly. Well that certainly confirmed it.

"Are you alright?" Raimundo asked tentatively.

"I didn't get a good night's sleep last night. I'm also feeling kinda sick so I think I will rest in bed today." The rest of the group understood Kimiko's problem and told her that if she needed anything they would be on the grounds training. As everyone rose up from their seats, Kimiko was left alone. Clay stayed behind to clean up the dishes so that all Kimiko had to do was clean up her own.

"Thank you Clay." Kimiko said quietly as he was leaving the room. Clay leaned against the door frame and half turned to her.

"You get better now ya hear?" He told her. At that Kimiko smiled at him. He tipped his hat to her and left to go follow the others.

She picked up her bowl and laid it to rest by the other dishes and made to go towards her room. The food had helped with the nausea somewhat but Kimiko still had a mild headache.

After a while of lying in bed, Kimiko thought she was well enough to get up and go sit by her favorite tree. The tree was nestled a little bit a ways from the temple but it offered the solitude that she needed whenever she wanted to get away.

She pasted by the training grounds and noticed that the boys had gotten carried away with their training and were now fighting off in the distance by the mountains. That was fine by her because she didn't feel that she would need their help any time soon. She nestled herself at the base of the tree and pulled out the Orb from her robes. She thought that perhaps by meditating with it she could find the solution to her problem. With that in mind, she gently closed her eyes.

After a few moments, a breeze flittered across her face and Kimiko felt an evil presence approaching her. Opening her eyes, she was disgusted with what she had to see.

"Jack Spicer, what are you doing here?" Kimiko glared at him. Of all people that had to bug her today, why did it have to be him?

"_Though I suppose it could be worse…It could be Chase that I'd have to worry about." _

"I'm here for the Orb of Gero and for you Kimiko!" Jack shouted gleefully in an '_evil'_ manner.

Kimiko subconsciously clutched the Orb of Gero closer to her chest and quickly put it into her robes. She got to her feet and a wave of nausea hit her. She didn't allow her discomfort to be shown on her face but inside she was ready to throw up.

Jack snapped his fingers and a whole row of robots appeared behind him. They were the same robots that the gang had fought in previous showdowns so that meant that he was holding out on the heavy artillery.

"_If he thinks he can get me by using his old robots he's gotta another thing coming!" _Kimiko glared at Jack and assumed her battle stance. She was just going to have to tough it out until the others arrived.

"Jack-bots! Attack!" Jack yelled, pointing at Kimiko. The robots flew past him to engage her. She knew that Jack would hang back like he always did and let his robots take care of his fighting.

She jumped up in the air and smashed her foot into the head of one of the robots. Another came up by her side and threw a punch which she swiftly somersaulted out of the way, destroying another one as she did so. Back on her feet, Kimiko fought off a cold sweat that started to appear across her brow. She was _not _going to get sick in front of Jack Spicer of all people. Kimiko concentrated on trying to form a ball of flame in her hand but not even a spark came. Her shock at not even being able to do this was evident on her face. Jack noted this but didn't let on that he realized her dilemma. He was still hanging back with his arms folded across his chest.

Panic threatened to overwhelm her but Kimiko wasn't going to let those sorts of emotions get in the way of her beating Jack. Powers or no, she was going to win this battle. Resigning on getting her powers to work, Kimiko charged at the closest robot and quickly punched a hole through its chest, and then sprinted out of the way as it exploded. The force of the blast sent the nearby robots flying and landing on the ground. Seizing her chance, Kimiko hopped from one robot to the other like a game of hopscotch effectively destroying each one as she did so.

She landed daintily on her feet in a T pose. Returning her arms down to her sides, she turned slowly to face Jack with an amused expression on her face that said, 'Is that the best you've got?' Jack swiftly understood her meaning and snapped his fingers once more to reveal a new set of robots behind him.

These robots didn't change much in design from the last batch. They only were bigger and given a more menacing look. Or perhaps they only seemed menacing because they were bigger? Kimiko looked from the robots to Jack to the robots and back again. The adrenaline rush helped quell the nausea and the fighting made her focus on something other than her sickness. It still didn't help with her powers but Kimiko realized that will just have to come back with time.

"What wrong Kimiko? Scared?" Jack taunted, noticing her slight hesitation.

"In your dreams Jack!" She yelled at him, leaping up into the air after one of them. The robot, because of its bulkiness, couldn't evade Kimiko's attack like it could have. She slammed her fist on its chest but drew back sharply in pain. It seems these robots were made with stronger material. Kimiko's punch did little to the robot if anything at all and it grabbed her leg and swung her across the grass.

As she was sailing through the air, she tried to grab onto the grass to make her stop. After she slowed to a stop, it took her a few seconds to rise from the ground. She let go of the ball of grass that had piled into her hand and stood up shaking the dirt from her clothes.

The blow she took to the head when she landed made her headache even worse. Her eyes kept going in and out of focus so she blinked a couple of times in order to clear them. She raised two fingers to her temple and closed her eyes briefly to get her bearings. She didn't have much time as the robots resumed their attack.

She flipped up into the air as multiple robots tried to dive bomb her together. They ended up piling themselves up in a big jumble below her. Kimiko's eyes suddenly spotted a little orange circular sphere on the back of all the robots. The orange sphere glowed slightly and Kimiko wondered if maybe this was the robots weak point.

"_It would be really dumb of Jack to put a glaring weak spot in broad daylight like that," _Kimiko thought miserly. _"__Well…one way to find out…"_As she came down from her descent, she punched one of the robots with all her might into the sphere. Her hand went a bit into the robot and as she pulled out she realized that her hand was bleeding. The robot made clicks and random electronic noises and started to shake furiously. Smoke started to emit from the shoulders and the head and Kimiko knew that she had to get away before it exploded like all the others.

She continuously hopped away from the failing machine and all the other robots did the same. There was a loud bang and the slain robot laid in pieces on the ground.

"_I can't believe that worked! Jack Spicer __still__ an idiot!"_

Kimiko clutched her hand to her chest and then raised it to look at it. There were various cuts across her palm and the top of her hand. _"__I'm going to have to use something else to defeat these things…"_

She ran over to the tree that she had been resting beside and pulled a long branch from it. As a robot came up behind her, she leaped up and brought it down upon its weak point and destroyed it. There were three large robots left and Kimiko hoped that there wouldn't be any more.

A robot came up to attack her alone and Kimiko tried to do the same as she had done before but another robot anticipated her move and punched her in the gut sending her flying into the tree.

"_They seem to be changing up their strategy…" _Kimiko stood up using the branch as a cane. The pain in her head was more intense now than it had been before. She clutched her head as the pain swelled and she would have lost consciousness had she not seen Jack's smirk. Her anger fueled her to keep on and to not give up.

Ignoring the pain, Kimiko leaped up and used the branch once more to destroy the robot and swiftly parried the counterattack from the other using the branch. Unfortunately the force of the punch broke through and Kimiko had to jump back in order to avoid the blow. She now had two long parts of the branch in each hand, which she swung around her body in mimicry of nun chucks.

The two robots attacked her simultaneously. One robot side swiped her across her back as Kimiko turned to avoid the attack. She was able to slam one branch into the other robot and ducked away from it as it exploded. Now they were one on one with each other. Jack hovered off to the side with an annoyed expression on his face. Kimiko's eyes briefly went to his form but quickly turned her attention to her attacker as it made its move. It heaved back and threw its punch toward her which she dodged to the side and maneuvered herself behind it. She felt great satisfaction as she plunged the last of her weapon into the robot finally destroying it.

She panted and heaved as she gazed over at her nemesis. She raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her clothes were sticking to her form making the wind that blew seem even colder that it would have been. Jack Spicer still had his frown plastered on his face when he finally planted his feet on the ground.

Kimiko fought off the wave of dizziness as she assumed her battle stance once again; Jack did the same.

"_Is he really going to fight me? There's no way he can beat me!" _

"Do you actually think you can defeat me?" Kimiko taunted her enemy.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises." Jack said as he charged at Kimiko. He swiped at her head to which she ducked and returned with a punch of her own. It hit him square in the face but he didn't falter his step none. He grabbed her wrist as she made another punch at him and hit her in the gut, making her heave briefly. She brought her knee up and he let go of her to avoid the blow. She stumbled back and was able to get a breath in before he came after her again.

Kimiko was able to briefly notice that bruises were starting to form on the knuckles of her hands. For every hit she was able to land on him, more bruises formed. She knew that at this rate she wouldn't be able to hit him anymore because of the pain. Jack Spicer was no slouch though and he kept her on her toes. She was faster than him but his punches her hurt a lot more than hers did to him.

He started to kick her and Kimiko raised her arms up to block the blows she couldn't avoid. A kick hit her shoulder and forearm and it sent her falling to the ground. Dark bruises formed immediately on her arms and she got up to face him again. Jack did not let up on his assault though because he knew that for some reason Kimiko couldn't use her powers. He was using that to his advantage in his fight against her.

Kimiko could barely dodge the blows Jack was sending her way. It was all she could do at this point to evade him. She hoped that with his continual missed strikes that he'll eventually wear out. It seemed that at this rate it was more likely her that would grow weary of dodging him than him getting tired of attacking.

Her mind was overrun with pain. Her eyes kept going in and out of focus but somehow she was able to keep dodging him. It seemed that instinct had taken over and she was no longer dodging the blows herself but someone else. There came a brief pause in their fighting as Jack leaped back to catch his breath. He was not out of breath as Kimiko was however, who panted heavily in the background.

"_This can't be happening…" _Kimiko charged and threw a wild punch which Jack swiftly dodged and returned with his own. It landed square on her cheek and Kimiko was thrown back a few feet. _"__I'm losing…to Jack Spicer!" _

"I can't lose! Not to you!" Jack narrowed his eyes in response. Kimiko summoned as much of her anger as she could to keep fighting. The adrenaline swept through her drowning out the pain for a few moments. She quickly got to her feet as he advanced on her. She dropped down trying to kick his legs out from under him. He anticipated her move by jumping up and behind her. He brought up his arms under hers in a full nelson. Kimiko struggled against this by head butting him backwards. It hit his nose and Jack let go of her, bring his hand to cover it.

Kimiko promptly tackled him to the ground and the two began wrestling. Each tried to pin the other as only then would the battle be decided. Kimiko vaguely had the thought that if she just screamed and screamed perhaps someone would hear her and come rescue her. The thought was squashed when she felt herself being flipped over unto her back, her arms and legs pinned to her sides. Jack gave a victorious laugh to which Kimiko just glared with all the anger she could muster.

Jack used a knee to pin one of her arms down and reached into his side pocket. He pulled out what looked to be a tranquilizer. Kimiko knew that this was it. There was no holding back the furious scream that she emitted as she struggled even harder. She hoped her friends got to her before Jack kidnapped her. These were her last thoughts as the needle plunged into her arm and everything went black.

When Kimiko's eyes had finally closed, Jack put a hand on the back of her neck and under the backs of her knees and lifted her up into his arms. A different robot, which had been waiting patiently away from the battle, began to clean up the mess that had been created. By 'cleaning up the mess' that meant it opened its mouth and ate every broken machine parts on the ground. By the time Jack was long gone with Kimiko there was not a trace left of the battle.

* * *

A/N: Now Jack may seem a bit OOC but guys really, it's been two years…he's had time to buck up and actually learn some fighting moves. No. He's not on the same level as Kimiko as she's has had more time to train but he can at least give her a run for her money seeing as she doesn't have her powers…topped with her feeling sick from her vision. I think it's reasonable that he'd be able to kidnap her. After all, he did it once before with just the chameleon bot didn't he?

Kudos to anyone who got the Resident Evil 5 and Star Wars references.

Responses to Reviews:

**RaixKimxChase: **Thank you for your kind words. I'm going to try to be a more responsible updater. Let's say one update at the beginning of the week and at the end? Not making any promises though, just in case life decides to happen again.

**Kayl3la Rich5ard: **No, it wasn't your mistake. I actually had abandoned this for a while. I just totally lost interest. I think now my muse has decided to get back into the groove of things seeing how I'm on summer break right now. (In college, not high school).

QUICKIE UPDATE:

I've decided to try and put this on a regular updating schedule. And hopefully I'll stick to it. Specific dates for when I update will be put onto my profile.


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